We’ve discussed why healthy children should be adjusted in a previous blog post. The answer is simple: to keep their nervous system functioning at the optimum level without any interference or distress. Chiropractic throughout pregnancy, birth, and childhood can be instrumental in laying a foundation for life-long health and wellness as it offers better choices for overall lifestyle.

The nervous system is the master controller in the body, contained within the spine and skull, and if its communication pathways (nerves) become distorted, they may result in an ineffective neural input and output. So if the spine is the area of nerve distress then the body is unable to operate smoothly. Chiropractors focus on removing the physical, chemical, and emotional stressors to ensure the nervous system works efficiently and effectively.

“The school of the hard knocks”

Some of these physical stressors in a child’s body can happen from small and large knocks and falls that will affect the child’s health. According to the National Safety Council, by the age of 7, a child will have fallen around 2500 times; and prior to turning 3 years of age (a critical period of brain development), nearly 50% of children have fallen head-first from a high place, such as a bed, a changing table, and a flight of stairs. Unfortunately, the resilience of children at a young age can make immediate symptoms less noticeable to an untrained eye; however, spinal health may have been compromised during these falls that leads to postural, immune, and neurological dysfunction over time as it will affect the structure and function of the whole nervous system.

Children with postural abnormalities, weakened immune system, and compromised neural communication due to undetected and uncorrected spinal injury may suffer from the following subtle symptom manifestations below, which can all lead to health problems later in life:

Colic

Irritability

Inability to suckle and breastfeed

Poor sleeping habits

Developmental delays

Digestion issues

Asthma

Behavioral problems

Low energy

Inability to concentrate

Headaches

And more…

So what exactly happens during a slip or a fall?!

When the child’s body is abruptly jarred in an accident, the muscles that protect the spine and skull automatically contract in order to keep the brain and the nervous system safe, which includes the muscles that attach to the nerve coverings themselves. This jarring motion will tension and subluxate (misalign) the spine and all of its attached muscles and ligaments in the process, which will affect the nervous system input and output. A subluxated spine, whether large or small, will result in altered structure and function, changing the way the body is able to behave, feel, and think.

Common times for injuries

The birth process: Stress and strain during birth in the upper neck muscles (suboccipitals) in newborns, which can effect the function of the brain stem. In addition, poor handling of babies, development of proper head support, learning to sit up, crawl, stand, and walk can also create spinal and nerve distress during the first year of life.

Playground, preschools, daycare centers in the early childhood up to the age of 5.

Schools and childhood activities, such as sports, bicycles, playgrounds, skateboarding, slides, rollerblading, and horseback riding from age 5 to 8.

Patient in my office, who has been under care 2 weeks after conception

Child’s greatest health asset

As you understand the importance of an optimally functioning nervous system, it make sense that all children, with or without any evident symptoms, deserve a well-adjusted, subluxation-free spine and nervous system. Chiropractic is gentle, safe and effective for children of any age with outstanding benefits, such as:

Maximizing the child’s brain plasticity and neural development

Enhancing the child’s overall health and well-being

Strengthening the immune system for a reduction of incidence of colds, earaches and general illness

Helping with colic and irritability

Helping with breathing difficulties, asthma, and allergies

Influencing postural changes

Improving the child’s ability to concentrate

Reintegrating the nervous system to assist with behavioral disorders and emotional stress and anxiety

Alleviating bed-wetting and digestive problems

Improving sleep issues

Incorporating chiropractic care will become an important part of a healthy lifestyle for the whole family.

Consider consulting with a local Doctor of Chiropractic on how to enhance your child’s health with an optimally functioning nervous system without interference or distress.